WANA: A remote-controlled bomb targeting a police vehicle in Rustam Bazaar, Wana tehsil of Lower South Waziristan, killed at least two people and injured 15 others on Thursday, according to police.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Imranullah told a group of mediamen that the device had been planted near the vehicle and was detonated remotely. The blast occurred in a busy market area, raising concerns over the worsening security situation.
Among the injured were two police constables — Zubair Salaam Khan from Dabkot and Fareedun Zubair from Birmal — while one victim remained in critical condition. All the wounded were shifted to the Wana District Headquarters Hospital, said District Police Officer Tahir Khan.
Security forces sealed off the area after the blast and launched a search operation to trace those behind the attack. Investigators are still examining the type of explosive used.
The attack follows residents’ complaints about the free movement of armed men and open display of weapons in Rustam Bazaar. Officials said stricter enforcement measures are being considered to address the issue.
The blast comes amid a recent spike in militancy across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, particularly against police and security forces. This surge intensified after the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government in 2022.
Just a day earlier, Upper South Waziristan Deputy Commissioner Asmatullah Wazir’s vehicle was targeted in an attack in Ladha tehsil, injuring a police constable and another person.
Also on Wednesday, seven people — including four security personnel and a policeman — were killed in separate incidents of gunfire in KP’s Karak and Peshawar districts.
On Tuesday, unidentified militants launched a rocket attack on a Scout camp in Wana, causing panic but no casualties. On Sunday, a clash in Birmal tehsil left two TTP (Gul Bahadar group) commanders and a tribal elder’s brother dead.
Meanwhile, in Bannu district, police repelled a late-night terrorist assault on the Khuni Khel post. A constable was injured in the attack, which was reportedly carried out by militants of the banned TTP and Tehreek-i-Jihad Afghanistan (TTG), operating under the joint name Al-Ittihad al-Mujahideen.
Bannu has witnessed a series of coordinated attacks in recent weeks — including a deadly assault on a checkpoint last week that left a constable and three terrorists dead. The district has also been targeted with multiple quadcopter strikes, allegedly launched by the TTP.
According to a July report by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), KP — particularly its tribal belt — remains the most affected region, accounting for 53 of the 82 militant attacks nationwide.
